Piantedosi Maintenance?

[Joe Jackson]

Hi, new user here. I recently acquired a used Merry Wherry II with a couple of Row-wing units. Wondering what (if anything) you folks do to keep them in good working order.

I've started experimenting a bit. Used some Aerospace 303 (seems similar to Armor all) on the plastic wheels, hoping to delay oxidation and embrittlement. I'd like to put some lithium grease on the bearings, but they are sealed and seem to be working smoothly, so nothing for now.

I tried some silicon spray lubricant on the track, but would call that a failure. Quickly turned to black crud, probably attracting dirt. Gets on clothes. May actually have taken off some of the coating on the rolling surface of the track. I've removed it and put on some SailKote (dry lube, I think teflon, though they don't say).

Also, I put a little lithium grease on the bearing surface (shaft) of the Concept II oarlocks. Didn't make any appreciable difference. I can't say I can feel any resistance with a 3' lever arm(oar) but I'd *like* them to move a little more freely.

Any thoughts or (particularly) experience much welcome.

BTW loving rowing the boat, though we get a lot of wind and chop on the bay here, and I'm thinking of adding some built in buoyancy (none existing).

Cheers,
Joe

[jonboy]

welcome Joe ...so new to the wbf ...Steppin' out?
can't personally help but you've come to the right place, or check out some University competion standard rowing clubs . they've sussed the lube and tuning stuff over many many years. Durham and of course Oxford or Cambridge,

[Joe Jackson]

More like Steppin' Back
built/owned sail and rowboats in previous lives, but coming back to it and having fun all over again.

Thanks for the welcome!

[cstevens]

Welcome Joe. You have a nice boat! There isn't anything to lubricate on the Piantedosi seat unit. The seat rollers are delrin and the bearings are sealed. If they need lubricating then they need to be replaced. You can use a dry lubricant like PTFE or graphite on the oarlock pins but don't overdo it. Too much lube just catches dust and makes a mess. Usually what happens is that they will start to squeak after a while. When that happens I splash water on the oarlock to shut it up for a bit and then add a bit of lube when I get back to the dock. Don't lubricate the slide, oar sleeves or any other sliding parts. The primary maintenance task is just to keep the slide clean.

For flotation you can use kayak air bags as a simple fix. That's what I use in my open water shell. Just make sure they are well-secured. If you want permanent flotation tanks (not a bad idea) then you might look at photos of the "Merry Sea" wherry, which is a Merry Wherry modified for open water use. Unfortunately I think the company that produced the kits is no longer in business so you will probably have to figure out how to do any modifications to your boat on your own but the Merry Sea would be a good starting point.

Where do you row?

[joe carpenter]

I've had two units for more than 20 years. I think I have replaced the bearings twice, but maybe three times. That's all they have ever needed.

Joe Carpenter

[Joe Jackson]

Thanks Chris.
I live on the Gulf coast of Texas. There are a lot of bays, a river, a creek or two close by that I've tried. (I'm only a couple of blocks from the Corpus Christi Bay and rigged a bike trailer to get there). The Laguna Madre (where they run the Texas 200) offers opportunities which I've just started to explore).
I started up rowing mostly for fitness, but its quickly evolving into more of an expeditionary interest. Mulling over whether to modify this boat (as you say, Merry Sea would be a natural path, but I've also been scrutinizing the CLC expedition wherry and the Angus Rowcruiser), or maybe just suck it up and build something a little bigger, keep the wherry for mostly solo. I have a young daughter who seems to like the water too. We'll see.

I envy you your cruising grounds and moderate temps. I may need a bimini before anything else! I kayaked once in the san juans and would love do more extensive exploration there.

[Joe Jackson]

Thanks Joe, I suspected I was over-thinking this, but its good to know

Do you row in salt water? I rinse when I can, but it doesn't happen every time.

[joe carpenter]

Thanks Joe, I suspected I was over-thinking this, but its good to know

Do you row in salt water? I rinse when I can, but it doesn't happen every time.

Yes, I live in Santa Cruz, CA. I must say, I'm pretty lazy about maintenance. I sometimes rinse everything off, but the majority of times I just get water out of the boat and leave it at that. The Piantedosi units need very little attention. When the bearings go, they start to make noise and once even jammed up. Easy to change them out however.

Joe